ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy interior minister Tallal Chaudhry on Tuesday vowed to uphold a preventive law-and-order measure barring public rallies and processions ahead of planned protests by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, saying no such activity would be allowed in Rawalpindi or Islamabad.
The statement came after the PTI of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan said its legislators would stage a “peaceful protest” outside the Islamabad High Court over restricted access to Khan despite judicial orders.
The party has also called for a demonstration outside the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where Khan has been incarcerated in a string of cases he says are politically motivated since his 2022 ouster in a parliamentary no-confidence vote.
Khan’s family has said they have no direct or verifiable contact with him, despite a court-mandated schedule for weekly meetings.
“Section 144 is imposed for the protection of life and property,” Chaudhry said while speaking to the media in front of the parliamentary building, referring to the legal provision in the Code of Criminal Procedure preventing public processions and gatherings.
